Mounting and lubricating means for vertical spindles



Nov. 11, 1958 A. H. HAMILTON 2,859,584

MOUNTING AND LUBRICATING MEANS FOR VERTICAL .SPINDLES Filed Jan. 25, 1956 ALEXANDER H. l/AM/LToN INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United Sttes MOUNTING AND LUBRHCATING MEANS FOR VERTICAL SPINDLES This invention relates to an improved mounting for upright or vertical spindles of the type used on textile machinery such as roving frames, spinning frames and the like and it is the primary object of this invention to provide an improved upright spindle and mounting therefor wherein the lower end of the spindle tits in a well and has a rounded lower portion thereon which rests upon a ball positioned in the bottom of the well and wherein means are provided to force liquid lubricant through the well.

Although the improved mounting is shown and described therein in association with a spindle of the type used on a roving frame, it is to be understood that the improved mounting may be used for supporting many different types of vertical spindles or spindle shafts such as are used in carding machines, drawing frames, combers, twisters, coilers and the like and including various machines other than textile machines.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a somewhat schematic plan view of a portion of a roving frame or similar textile machine showing a pair of the improved mountings thereon and showing how pressurized lubricant is circulated through the spindle mountings;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation taken substantially along line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, with the central portion of the spindle broken away, taken substantially along line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral generally designates the frame of a roving machine or similar textile machine having a horizontal frame member 10a on which a row of the improved spindle mountings are suitably mounted, there being two such spindle mountings shown in Figure l broadly designated at 11 and 11. Since both of the spindle mountings and associated parts are identical, only the spindle mounting 11 will be described in detail and like parts associated with the spindle mounting 11', where shown, will bear the same reference characters. Each of the mountings 11, 11 is shown in the form of a bracket 12 which is generally termed in the art as a step bearing which supports a spindle 14 which, with the exception of its lower portion, is of conventional construction and is driven in a conventional manner such as that disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,021,626 issued to W. C. Peirce on March 26, 1912, and substantially as disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,551,210 issued to J. B. Goodgame on May 1, 1951. The brackets 12 are each suitably secured to the outer or front surface of the lower frame member or beam 10a of the frame 10 by any suitable means such as a screw 15.

The upper portion of each bracket 12 has a well or circular cavity 16 therein whose bottom is provided with a concave seat 17 for receiving the lower portion of a atent .C

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rounded bearing member in the form of a metal ball 2t) of substantially less diameter than the diameter of the well 16. The spindle 14 has an enlarged medial portion 21 thereon beneath which a reduced journal portion 22 is provided. The lower portion of the journal portion 22 loosely ts in the well 16 for free rotation therein and the lower end of the reduced journal portion 22 is provided with a hemispherical or rounded projection 23 thereon which rests upon the ball 20. This reduced hemispherical portion 23 is preferably, but not necessarily, of the same diameter as the ball 20.

Liquid lubricant or oil is maintained under pressure in each well 16 and, accordingly, each bracket 12 is counterbored above the well 16, as at 25, for reception of a sealing ring or brous washer 26 which is held against the bottom of the counterbore 25 by a gland screw 27 threaded into'the counterbore 25. Y

In order to insure lubrication of the point of contact between the ball 20 and the hernispherical portion 23 in the well 16 of each bracket 12, each bracket 12 is provided with a pair of substantially diametrically opposed ports or passageways 30, 31 which communicate with the well 16 adjacent its bottom and lwhose axes are preferably substantially alined with the point of contact between the ball 20 and the rounded or hemispherical portion 23 on the spindle 14. The proximal ends of branch pipes or conduits 32, 33 are connected to each of the brackets 12 for communication with the respective passageways 30, 31, as by means of conventional fittings 34, 35.

Referring to Figure 1, a form of pressurized lubricating system is disclosed for forcing liquid lubricant or oil into pipes 32 of a plurality of the improved mountings simultaneously and withdrawing the lubricant through a plurality of the branch pipes 33. To this end, lubricant is stored in a suitable reservoir indicated schematically at R and is pumped therefrom by means of a suitable pump indicated schematically at P. The pump P has one end of a main pressure pipe or conduit 40 connected thereto which forms one of a pair of spaced substantially parallel stationary runs or reaches 41, 42 which extend substantially throughout the length of the textile machine as represented by the frame 10 and which straddle the row of brackets 12. The pipe run 42 is connected for communication with the reservoir R andY corresponding ends of the pipe runs 41, 42 may be formed integral with the uppermost of the respective branch conduits 32, 33in Figure l. It will be noted that the ends of all the branch conduits 32 remote from the brackets 12 are, in each instance, communicatively connected with the common reach 41 of the lubricant feeding conduit 40 and the ends of the branch conduits 33 remote from the brackets 12 are connected to the reach 42, the reach 42 being common to all of the branch conduits 33.

It is thus seen that the pump P causes the lubricant to ow, under pressure, from the reservoir in a generally clockwise direction in Figure 1 so that it ows into the reach 41 and is forced into the branch pipes 32 and thus into the wells 16 of the corresponding brackets 12. In order to insure that the fluid lubricant is forced into the wells 16 under suflicient pressure, it is apparent that the pressure of the fluid should be substantially greater than that necessary merely to feed lubricant into the wells 16 of the brackets 12 and, accordingly, the lubricant circulates, under pressure, through the brackets 12 and then into the reach 42 in its course back to the reservoir R. The lubricant, as it is forced into the well 16 through the passageway 30, in each instance, is also forced past the contacting surfaces of the corresponding ball 20 and rounded or hemispherical portion 23 of the corresponding spindle 14 and into the branch conduit 33.

It is thus seen that I have provided an improved mounting for each of a plurality of upright or lsubstantially vertical spindles wherein the contacting surfaces are minimized, thereby minimizing frictional resistance to rotation of the spindles 14 and wherein means are provided for forcing lubricant'into Athe wells in which the balls 20 and the lower ends of Vthe spindles are .positioned to thereby insure that the bearing surfaces are adequately lubricated at all times. In order to .further insure that the highly .pressurized lubricant Vdoes not leak through the gland 27, it is preferable that the upper surface of each gland is provided with a shallow `circular recess 45 therein in which the lower end of the enlarged medial portion 21 of the corresponding spindle 14 loosely Vlits for rotation therein.

ln the drawings and specication there has been ys et forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and description sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being dened in the claims.

I claim:

1. A spindle mounting comprising a bracket provided with a well in its upper portion, a ball seated on the bottom of the well, said spindle having a journal portion thereon loosely -iitting in the well for rotation therein, a

rounded projection on the lower end of said journal portion resting upon the ball, said bracket having a pair of substantially opposed ports therein communicating with said well, and .means for progressively circulating liquid lubricant under pressure through one of said ports, through said well and through the other port for maintaining lubrication of the contacting surfaces of the ball and the rounded projection on the lower end of the spindle,

2. A structure according to claim 1 wherein said spindle hasan enlarged medial portion thereon, downwardly from which the journal portion extends, the upper portion of said bracket being provided with a counterbore therein above and communicating with the well, a sealing ring positioned in said counterbore, and a gland member encircling said journal portion and being xed in the counterbore for retaining the sealing ring therein and to thereby prevent the lubricant, under pressure, from escaping from said well.

3. A textile spindle and mounting means therefor comprising a spindle-supporting bracket provided with a well therein, a bearing member projection upwardly from the bottom of said well, said spindle having its lower portion journaled in said well and having its lower end resting upon ,the bearing member, rst and second substantially horizontally alined conduits whose proximal ends A communicate with said well and whose axes are disposed on substantially the same level as the juncture of the bearing member and the lower end of the spindle, and means connecting the distal ends of said rst and second conduits to respective output and input sides of a source of circulating uid lubricant under pressure.

4. Apparatus for supporting textile spindles comprising a bracket having a well in its upper portion for receiving the lower end of a spindle for rotation therein, a member forming a convex surface on the bottom of said well, said spindle having a convex surface on its lower end resting upon said first-named surface, and said bracket having a pair of substantially diametrically opposed passageways ytherein communicating with said well on a level substantially coinciding with the juncture of said convex surfaces and adapted to be connected to output and input sides, respectively, of a source of circulating liquid lubricant.

5, A structure according to claim 4 wherein said member is a ball of lesser diameter than said well.

6. A structure according to claim 4 wherein said convex surface on the lower end of the spindle is in the form of a hemisphere of substantially lesser diameter than said well,

7. A structure according to claim 4 wherein the bracket has a counterbore therein above and communicating with said well, a sealing ring in said counterbore and encircling said spindle, and a screw encircling a lower portion of said spindle and threaded into said counterbore against said sealing ring to prevent lubricant, under pressure, from leaking from said bracket.

8. A structure according to claim 7 wherein said spindle is provided with an enlarged portion spaced above its lower end, and the upper end of the gland screw has a shallow circular recess `therein in which the lower end of said enlarged portion loosely fits.

References Cited in the file of'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 260,504 Stevens July 4, 1882 1,363,087 Clayton Dec. 21, 1920 1,913,620 Whiteley June 13, 1933 2,571,166 Rossetto Oct. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,737 Switzerland May 14, 1898 482,112 France Nov. 27, 1916 

